Your Comments: 'The bear(s) should be tagged so we all will know if there are multiple or a single bear'

View full sizeCourtesy of Douglas Zamelis Douglas Zamelis took this video Friday of a bear in his yard on Vassar Drive in the town of Manlius. The bear was a little more than half a mile from Fayetteville-Manlius High school.

When a Manlius man videotaped a bear eating from bird feeders Friday, wildlife biologist David Riehlman said it's not unusual to see young male bears roaming this time of year, as it is breeding season and they are searching for mates. He added that the DEC tracks reports of where the bears are, but doesn't send anyone out to investigate. The bears won't bother anyone as long as they aren't aggravated or harassed, he said.

That's not a smart way of handling the sightings, says commenter banone. Here's more from banone:

Another sorry example of a branch of law enforcement being scared of what the public might think of them and letting it affect doing their job...these sightings should be visited by the DEC and the bear(s) should be tagged so we all will know if there are multiple or a single bear being spotted across the area, if these animals are passing through or settling-in. If all goes wrong and the bear dies, so be it. Just because the Geddes bear died they're afraid of tranquilizing another and doing their job.

One could argue that 'we are in their territory' but that doesn't hold water after a given amount of time, these are not one-year-old developments, they're established neighborhoods being visited. The bear is on our turf, it is passing through looking for a mate, but is a menace nonetheless. DEC, deal with it! If the demise of a bear or two conflicts with Environmental 'Conservation' then maybe the peace officers should take over and do their jobs of protecting its citizens. Before you start with the tranquility of black bears, remember that a situation can turn ugly and deadly in seconds.